Face lifting device



July 28, 1959 A. M. BROWN FACE LIFIING DEVICE INVENTOR. LZdDZp/Z 7?. 57 0mm M ZZ Gila/ways Filed Aug. 2, 1957 I hired States 2,896,613 FACE LIFTING DEVICE Adolph M. Brown, Beverly Hills, Calif Application August 2, 1957, Serial N0. 676,034

1 Claim. Cl. 128-46) of the aforementioned patents, women sometimes under- Went surgical face-lifting to eliminate what is generally considered an undesirable evidence of increasing age. Such surgery was, of course, sometimes painful, often expensive and occasionally dangerous.

Along with advancing techniques in cosmetics and feminine beauty care, increased emphasis has been placed on youthful appearance, characterized by smooth facial skin tissue. This has become an especially important desideratum as women have increasingly occupied professional and business positions. While my prior inventions are adaptable to general use, the youthful appearance achieved by minimizing facial senescence is of particular importance in some special fields, such as theater and entertainment. Cosmetic applications, especially liquid astringents, have long been used to achieve a temporary contraction of the skin, but such a cosmetic effect is only temporary in nature.

The first three patents mentioned taught the use of a plurality of mechanical devices provided with spicules or spurs which would penetrate the epidermis and retract the skin to taughtness, eliminating wrinkles. The last of the four patents abovementioned disclosed a device which would accomplish this result without the use of skin penetration. The use of such mechanical devices is considerably more efficacious in achievingfacial skin contraction than cosmetic techniques, inasmuch as the initial set of the skin continues until the retracting devices are removed whereas cosmetic applications, often with a highly volatile alcohol component, are evanescent and dissipate within a short period of time. Often such cosmetic expedients as astringents give only a sensation of tightness caused by a layer of gelatin or glue on the skin. This greater dependability of the de vices and method taught in previous patents no doubt accounts for their commercial success.

The present invention is a further improvement over the previous devices. Its object is to provide a device for temporarily alleviating the effects of facial senescence which achieves all the advantage of my aforementioned inventions, including that the device eliminates penetration of the integument and any physical discomfort associated with such penetration; is simpler to apply; requires only a single tensioning or retracting member; is capable of adjustment without removal to a desired degree of tautness upon and after application; is capable of removal and reapplication (while relaxing the skin over as an ornament of thehair.

f ice 2 intervening periods such as overnight); requires only a single small application of adhesive material on either side of the head; is more readily concealed and retained in position once applied; and'in some embodiments serves Generally stated, the object of this invention is to provide, when applied, the same youthful appearance heretofore achieved by a surgical face lift. As will be readily understood this effect 'is achieved only while the device is worn and the effect is temporary.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from the specification and drawing hereof, and the device shown in the accompanying drawings is given as illustration of one preferred embodiment of the invention, while I claimfthe device as shown or claimed and all equivalents thereto.

Figs. 1-4 show steps of applying the invention;

Fig. 5 is a view of the anchor member hereinafter described; and t Fig. G'is apers ect-ive viewof the resilient ten'sioning member with its associated comb element;

Fig. 7 is a plan viewer "the comb element alone.

The device is provided an author element 3 in the form of an oval-shaped woven,- open-mesh, cloth tab (shown in Fig. 5). e p l The anchor element may be provided with a tip portion 5 having an opening therein which. may, if desired, be r'eenforced with a grommet or multiple mutually reenforcing layers. This tab may be secured to the skin with a small quantity of any of a number of well-known adhesive substances at apoint near the temples, preferably inside the hairline.

While the shape of the anchor element 3 may vary, it has been found impprtant to formthis element of a porous material. A fabric of or mesh has been found sui'table. The porosity of the materialpermits the adhesive liquid which is applied to the skin' to migrate or flow through the openings spread on the outer side, and to congeal there, 'fixingthe anchoring element 3 in a 'securelybon'cled relation to the skin: If desired, the

portion 4 6f the anchoring element at t-he end thereof opposite the tip portionis may also be treated with the adhesive to embedtlie fabric in the adhesive for full attachmentto the 'coatedarea of the skin, Suitable adhesives can be formulated of various synthetic andrubberlike adhesives capable of .rnaintaining a strong bonding relation with the skin and should be relatively nonallergenic. H p

The device also comprises elongated resilient or elastic tensionifi'g members 7 and an ass'ociated comb element 8. The comb 8 (which may also serve as a buckling function, as hereinafter explained) is provided with two central slot portions 9, 10 arranged in parallel spaced relationship, divided by a narrow partition 10a, and spaced inwardly of the margins of the comb or buckling elemeiitS. Both elastic tensioning members 7 in assembly may extend transversely through both slots 9, 10. The slots 9, 10 are dimensioned to have a sufficient-width so as to permit the tensioning members 7 to be threaded therthrough in an endwise sliding movement, yet to embrace and retain the tensioning :members 7 in place While the latter are under stress. The tensioning mend-- brs 7 may, along part of their length, be disposed in (a stacked or layered relation, as in Fig. 6, forming a loop portion 20 as they extend through the slots 9, 10 and about the partitioning rod 10a in such relationship. The tensioning members 7 themselves should be of a length less than the distance across the top of the head from one temple to the other but which can be stretched over the distance into engagement with the tabs constantly to urge the tabs and the skin to which it is secured in edge of the ear. in Fig. 1. performing surgical face lifts, is thin and quite loosely attached to the underlying fascia and muscle.

. m9 the direction off of the face to withdraw loose skin from the face. Ordinarily, an elastic tensioning member which extends to between to 14 inches under stress will be satisfactory. The positioning of the device across the crown of the head .is desirable so that the device will in operation exert aipull or tension rearwardly as well as upwardly, tending to minimize not only horizontal folds or wrinkles in the face but also those substantially vertical therein. 7

The elastic tensioning member 19 may be provided at at least one of their extremities with hooks or other engaging means adapted to be inserted into the openings 6 of the anchor members 3 or otherwise secured thereto. Other means of securing or engaging the anchor members 3 to or with the tensioning members may be employed.

When, as in Fig. 4 and more fully hereinafter de- 7 scribed, the tensioning members 7 are engaged by the an chor members 3 and tensed therebetween, the tensioning members 7 are pulled into a snug hugging relationship with the walls of the slots 9, 10.

The loop portion of the tensioning members 7 may be digitally raised from its snugly seated relationship in the slots and reduced in thickness by stretching so that either or both tensioning members 7 may slide therethrough to a shorter or longer extension as desired.

The comb-buckle member 8 may be positioned at or near the extremities of the tensioning members 7 which are opposite their other extremities adapted to engage the anchor members 3. This permits the buckle 8 to be positioned near the crown of the head where the buckle may be most readily concealed. Of course, if desired, the comb-buckle element 8 may be designed as an ornamental piece and exposed in the hair. Adjustment of the length of one tensioning member may be achieved by endwise sliding through the slots 9, 10 Without disturbing the adjustment of the other.

Figs. 14 show the steps of applying the device. The user, as in Fig. 1, parts the hair in a line passing from one temple to another across the cranium. The hair on the side of the part forward on the head may be brushed upwardly and forwardly and on the rearward side of head, rearwardly and downwardly. The hair may be held in place by combs 1, 2 while the device is being applied.

Optimally, the anchoring tabs 3 should be afixed to the skin within an area of one inch square of the skin surface immediately anterior to or in front of the upper This area is generally designated 30 The skin in this area, I have discovered in Such position of the tab 3 utilizes this physiological phenomenon most eifectively to achieve the temporary alleviai tion of facial senescence.

After the user has applied the tabs adhesively as heretofore described, the hooks 9 are engaged in the openings 6 on their respective sides. The tension exerted by the elastic members is transmitted through the anchor members 3 and pulls or retracts the facial skin upwardly and rearwardly. By adjusting the extension of the tensioning members 7 by endwise sliding, as heretofore described, the user may achieve the degree of tension desired to eliminate or minimize the looseness or wrinkles in the facial skin and to provide maximum comfort; Fig. 4 shows the device as applied, with the tab 3 urged by the dtensioning members 7 to a higher position on the The comb 8 is provided with outwardly extending teeth portions 16 in spaced apart side by side relation along at least one of its margins. Optimally the comb 8 should rest upon the head near its crown, and the lengths permit this. By so dimensioning the lengths of the tensioning members 7 in relation to the comb member 8, the extension of either tensioning member 7 and consequently the strength of its tensioning effect upon the skin on its respective side of the face may be adjusted independent of the other.

The comb 8 is readily concealed after the device is applied merly by brushing or otherwise positioning the hair thereover. The tufts of hair are then embraced within the channels 17 between the comb teeth 16 and hold the device uniformly and securely in place, thus avoiding inadvertent displacement of the device or undesirable modification of the established tensioned relation and also minimizing any unsightly bunching of hair or inadvertent exposure of the device itself.

While the combination buckle-comb element has been deemed commercially most acceptable, modifications are possible, as by using one or more buckling elements together with one or more separate comb members. The buckling member may be any equivalent device which will permit the tensioning member to be held in position under stress under various degrees of tension.

Besides the functional advantages of this improvement over my earlier inventions, there are additional advantages, such as comparatively less cost in manufacture. Numerous changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement, and operation, without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as stated in the following claim.

1 claim:

In a device for minimizing facial senescence wherein a liquid adhesive is applied directly to the skin for attachment thereto, a plurality of elongated resilient tensioning members dimensioned to have a normal length less than the distance between auditory members, 'a plurality of anchoring members consisting of an open mesh fabric portion adapted to enable penetration into the liquid adhesive applied to the skin for enabling the fabric to become embedded and become an integral. part of the adhesive layer and another portion adapted to be connected to said tensioning members when stretched to urge said tensioning members in the direction towards each other and away from the face; a buckling member; said tensioning members having their other extremities opposite their points of connection to said anchor members engaged by said buckling member; said buckling memberbeing adapted to permit endwise sliding of the tensioning members therethrough and having teeth extending laterally in side by side parallel relationship into engagement with the hair shafts for anchorage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 550,492 Ent Nov. 26, 1895 1,563,767 MacDonald Dec. 1, 1925 1,643,090 Rogers Sept. 20, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS 440,244 Germany Feb. 2, 1927 

